


Wild Horses

by Nativestar



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Amnesia, Angsty too, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda Fluffy, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nativestar/pseuds/Nativestar
Summary: The Amnesi-Mac one.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 30





	Wild Horses

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I think Anguish is to blame for this, but also helped by many members of Team Alpaca. Thanks for the inspiration!
> 
> Some fics you carefully create and carefully consider each word, and some you write in half an hour and yeet into the wild. This is the latter, its indulgent and full of tropes; the comfort food of fics.

No one had expected Mac to wake from his coma. Not really. The odds had been so low, to believe that Mac could beat them had just seemed like setting themselves up for future heartbreak.

Except Jack.

Every day he sat with Mac. Talking to him. Watching movies with him. Holding his hand like he was tethering Mac to them. One day Riley had even spent half an hour leaning against the wall outside Mac’s door, tears streaming down her face as she listened to Jack sing to him. Bozer joked that Mac had to wake up, even if was only to tell Jack to shut up.

Jack didn’t take no for answer when he asked for a leave of absence and made sure he was there every step of Mac’s recovery. He was there when Mac took his first breaths by himself. He was there when Mac had his PT and he learnt how to do the exercises to keep Mac’s muscles from atrophy. And it was only appropriate that he was there when Mac first opened his eyes, blearily roaming the room until he settled on Jack’s face momentarily before falling asleep again.

The hospital staff claimed they heard Jack shouting from two floors away and Riley was inclined to believe them after Jack whooped and swung her around in a hug that literally lifted her off her feet. None of them had left Mac’s room after that until he opened his eyes again a few hours later, and frowned at them before mumbling that he was trying to get some sleep and could they keep it down? Then promptly went back to sleep.

So it wasn’t until the third time Mac woke that their bubble was well and truly burst.

Mac didn’t remember them.

At all.

He remembered his childhood friend Bozer. But not his room mate and newly-minted agent Bozer.

He remembered EOD training and how to disarm a bomb in under three minutes but not his overwatch Jack.

He called Riley _Riles,_ giving them a flash of hope, but he didn’t recall anything else about her.

After fighting his way back to them it was a punch in the gut for everyone.

* * *

Two weeks later and little had improved. If anything it had gotten worse. Although Mac was discharged from the hospital and making progress with his PT, mentally he was angry and frustrated with himself.

His memory was fragmented and it was like picking up broken pieces of glass when you didn’t even know the shape of what had been shattered. Not to mention with Mac’s memories, some of those pieces were likely to cut and bleed too. Jack had all but moved in with Mac and it felt like almost every night he was waking him from a nightmare where he never remembered anything but the fear.

Both of them were tired and at the end of their ropes when a simple reminder from Jack for Mac to do his exercises had escalated into them both shouting at each other and retreating to separate corners of the house.

Jack sat on the back deck, strumming listlessly at the guitar in his hands. He picked at the strings, falling into the familiar rhythm of a Stones song as he started singing quietly. It wasn’t a performance, but the repetitive movements of his fingers and soft singing soothed him and calmed his heart. Much like it had the last time he’d sung this song, whilst holding vigil over Mac, never losing faith that his boy would come back to him.

“ _You know I can't let you  
Slide through my hands”_

He still knew Mac would come back to them. It was just going to take a bit longer than any of them would like. Even if they had bad days, like today, Jack knew how hard Mac was trying.

“ _Wild horses  
Couldn't drag me away”_

Jack continued for a few more lines.

“ _No sweeping exit  
Or offstage lines_

_Could make me feel bitter  
Or treat you unkind”_

Suddenly, Mac’s voice cut over his own, singing along.

“ _Wild horses  
Couldn't drag me away”_

Jack spun around to see Mac standing by the steps, looking guilty. Jack hated that Mac looked so hesitant, so unsure of himself and as if he was intruding. Honestly, he’d forgiven Mac as soon as he’d picked up the guitar.

“You sung that to me.” Mac said quietly, tilting his head to the side as he often did when he was trying to chase the wisp of a memory.

“You remember that?” Jack replied with surprise, he knew the doctors had said coma patients could sometimes still hear their loved ones but this was the first time Mac had indicated he did. “That’s great, hoss! I mean, if you can remember hearing me while you were in a coma then there’s hope for the rest of your memories right there.”

“No.” Mac shook his head, he still had a far away look in his eyes. “It was before then, you used to sing that in the desert. On the bad days, driving back to camp.”

“You… you remember that?” Jack said hesitantly. He didn’t want to jump the gun.

“Yeah.” Mac said, a shy smile spreading over his face. “I always thought it was your way of telling me I wasn’t alone any more.”

“Picked up on that, did ya?” Jack said smiling as well. “So does that mean…?”

“I… I think so?” Mac laughed breathy and relieved. “Some of it, anyway. Its a start, right?”

“Damn right, its a start!” Jack said, roughly grabbing Mac into a tight hug, not even worrying about the tears that were about to stain Mac’s shoulder. He pulled back, holding Mac by the shoulders as he looked him in the eyes. “I’m proud of you, Mac.”

Grinning wildly, he nudged Mac back indoors.

“Now, what are you waiting for? Go call the team, this calls for a celebration!”

**Author's Note:**

> The song is Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones.


End file.
